Suspended stowage magnazines



Oct. 29, 1957 F. J. cooK ETAL 2,811,084

SUSPENDED STOWAGE MAGAZINES Filed Jan. 14, 1955 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 v INVENTDRS F/PDEP/Ok JACK cook, J17 K/VOW4E6,

, Armn/vgys Oct. 29, 1957 F J. cooK ETAL 2,

SUSPENDED STOWAGE MAGAZINES Filed Jan. 14, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 /NVENTDR$ AT TDHNE Y5 Oct. 29, 195? F. J. cooK ETAL 2,811,084

SUSPENDED STOWAGE MAGAZINES Filed Jan. 14, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVE N TDR5 cap/g 1750B?! JILX Ma man 455 Q ATTDHNEYS 2,811,084 SUSPENDED STOWAGE MAGAZINES Frederick Jack Cook, Farndon, Newark, and Jack Knowles, Grantham, England, assignors to Brevets Aero-Mecaniques S. A., Geneva, Switzerland, a society of Switzerland Application January 14,1955, Serial 481,922

Claims priority, application Great Britain Januarylfi, 1954 1 Claim. or. 89-34) This invention relates to ammunitionmagazines for guns, of the kind in which an ammunition belt of interconnected rounds, usually formed by spring-metal clips pivotally interconnect-ing the rounds side-'by-side in series, is stored in a box from which it is pulledby the feed mechanism'of the gun. L a

The invention is applied to a magazine comprising a box having normally vertical separators dividing the box into open-topped cells for holding a belt of interconnected rounds festoon ed over the separators with acrest portion of the belt over the upper'end' of each separator and a loop portion of the belt in each cell. Each separator has, at its-upperend, belt-engaging means to enter between successive rounds in the respective crest portion of the belt on the 'separatoi", so that-each loop portion hangs independently in its 'ce ll, ,and,th e.box has, at one end thereof, the usual, outlet forrwithdra'wal of the belt.

' Previous magazine'sof the above kind have been designed for the belt to be withdrawnby "all therounds of each loop sliding in train over the curved upper end of the respective separator as the belt is withdrawn first from the cell nearest the outlet-and then from the remaining cells in succession away from the outlet.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved magazinewherein each crest portion of the belt is engaged so that the rounds forming the crest portion cannot slide in train over the separator but are guided to unwrap from the separator on withdrawal of the belt first from the cell furthest from the outlet and then from the remaining cells in succession towards the outlet.

According to the invention, the upper end of each separator has a belt-engaging means comprising a fixed, upwardly directed projection, to prevent rounds forming the respective crest portion of the belt from sliding in train either upwardly over the separator towards the outlet or laterally. At the upper end a guide means is also provided for unwrapping each respective crest portion from, the projection, which defines an arcuate path extending first from the slide of the separator further from the outlet, then over the projection and finally in the direction of the outlet.

In a preferred construction, each separator has a head with an upwardly directed tooth forming the fixed projection and a sickle shaped arm forming the guide means and extending from the side of the head further fro-m the outlet and arcuately upwardly and over the tooth to terminate with a free end directed towards the outlet.

A magazine as provided by the invention, ensures smooth withdrawal of the belt, the feed tension being transferred from one loop to the next without snatch, and jamming together of the last few rounds in each loop as they leave their cell is avoided.

Further, since ammunition in a magazine as provided by the present invention is held in place, by the independent suspension of each loop in its cell, until withdrawn for use, the magazine is particularly suitable for mounting on a gun so that the trunnion axis line passes nite States Patent 2,811,084 Patented Oct. 29, 1957 4 2 horizontally through the magazine approximately bisecting the loops at right angles with the result that at all times the ammunition in the magazine is disposed substantially equally on either side of the trunnion axis. Thus the centre of gravity of the magazine can initially be arranged to lie on and will move only along the trunnion axis as ammunition is used whereby the balance of the gun will not be affected. The magazines are particularly suitable for mounting at either side of a twin gun mounting.

The invention is illustrated by way of example on the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a magazine as though on :a gun, the nearer side wall being omitted to reveal the interior and, to preserve clarity of illustration, the actual mounting not being shown because it does not affect the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on the line 11-11 of .The magazine box 1 is shown in the drawing somewhat conventionally as a deep rectangular metal box, with a hinged top which can be opened for loading or charging, and the box may have external mounting a-ttachm-ents.

The box 1 is located and supported on the mounting of a gun 2 so that it moves in elevationwith the gun and the gun trunnion axis line TT passes through the box from end to end and through the centre of gravity of the box. a

On the inside of each of the two side walls of the-box 1 are provided vertical separator ribs. 3, each. rib on one wall opposite a corresponding rib on the other wall, ,so. that each two opposite ribs form a'pair'of ribs equivalent to a partition, whereby the box is in eifect divided into cells.

An ammunition belt, of rounds 4 interconnected by spring metal clips 5 in a well-known manner, is arranged in the magazine box by being festooned in loops hanging on the pairs of separator ribs 3, one loop to each cell between adjacent pairs of ribs 3.

From the end of the box further from the gun, the ammunition belt is led along the upper part of the box, over a roller 6 at each side and through an outlet to a chute 7 to the gun feed and breech mechanism 8. During firing of the gun, the belt is pulled, round by round, by the feed mechanism which loads the gun and discards the clips 5 in the usual way. Thus the belt is used up and the magazine emptied, cell by cell, from the further end of the box first.

Each separator .rib 3 has a specially shaped head 9, see Fig. 3, which has a tooth 10, to engage between successive rounds 4 at the respective crest of the looped formation of the belt, and a sickle-shaped arm guide 11, to pass between the last two rounds of the respective loop of the 'belt and curve into the line of ,feed of the belt towards the rollers 6.

The teeth 10 prevent the crests of the belt from sliding in both directions over the tops of the separator ribs 3, so that each loop of the belt is suspended inde ndently of the weight of the other loops.

At the top of each pair of separator ribs, the two guides 11, of the two respective heads 9, form supports for the cartridge bases and projectile noses of the rounds as they are pulled out of the preceding cell.

As shown by Figs. 4 to 6, the guides 11 extend between the last two rounds, 4 and 4 of the respective loop and constrain the rounds forming the crest portion to follow an arcuate path so that the crest portion unwraps from the tooth 10., The guides 11 also serve, throughout the withdrawal of the respective loop,-

to guide all the rounds preceding the crest portion. in an arcuate path smoothly from their cellinto the lateral feed path towards the rollers 6, maintaining lateral separation of non-successive rounds, particularlyin the final after the respective last round, 4 of. the preceding loop and first round 4 'of the succeeding loop have left the teeth 10, until the feed tension of the belt has taken the weight of thesucceeding loop. This avoids the crest of rounds between successive loops forming a slack bight in the belt as they leave the teeth and which would cause snatch at the feed mechanism 8 as the weight of the next loop came suddenly on to. the moving portion of the belt.

It will be noted from Fig. 1 that the pair of separator ribs 3 nearest the gun, beneath the rollers 6, are somewhat shorter than the others and do not have the guides 11. This is because the rounds leave the heads of these last separators in a substantially vertical direction Without any appreciable lateral travel to the rollers 6 and therefore guides 11 are not required. Also, these last separators need not have the teeth 10 because they support only the tail of the belt and the belt is held against displacement in the magazine by the heads of the separators up to the last pair.

It will be noted that the magazine of the present invention has, apart from the exit rollers 6, no moving parts such as hinged partitions or feeding springs as in some previously proposed magazines of the vertical cell type. This absence of moving parts is of substantial practical advantage in obtaining consistent withdrawal of ammunition from magazines under widely varying service conditions and in enabling recharging of magazines to be efiected simply and without requiring special inspection, testing or maintenance facilities.

The separator heads, by holding the ammunition belt in place as independently suspended loops and guiding and supporting its withdrawal from loop to loop, prevent unwanted displacement and insure proper withdrawal of the ammunition Whatever the movement of the gun during firing. Magazines in accordance with the invention have proved satisfactory at all angles of fire between full vertical depression and full vertical elevation, i. e. from to +90 from the horizontal.

In a general manner, while We have, in the above description, disclosed What we deem to be practical and eflicicnt embodiments of our invention, it should be well understood that we do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of'the accompanying claim.

What we claim is:

A gun ammunition magazine comprising a box having normally vertical separators dividing the box into opentopped cells, an outlet for said box at one end thereof, the cells holding a belt of interconnected rounds extending from the outlet across the top of the box, the belt extending over the separator remote from the outlet first and then over successive separators, belt engaging means connected with the upper end of each separator, said belt engaging means comprising a fixed projection extending generally vertically as a continuation of the separator, said projection engaging between successive rounds to prevent the belt from sliding over the separator in either direction, and an arcuate guide member connected with said projection and spaced laterally therefrom, said guide member extending arcuately from a point beyond the end of that side of each separator further from the outlet, then over said projection and in the direction of said outlet whereby successive rounds pivot about each projection as the belt is drawn out over each separator and the belt is unwrapped from the crest portion of each separator.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,710,561 Dowd June 14, 1955 

